Iowa - Local Man Claims MC Broke Mirror On Highway

OFF THE WIRE
BY: Andy Hallman
Source: http://www.bikernews.net/index.cfm/art/Local-Man-Claims-MC-Broke-Mirror-On-Highway/clb/Chosen-Few-MC/d/news/p/read/newsid/linkouts/linkout.cfm?lurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwashington%2Dia%2Evillagesoup%2Ecom%2Fpost%2Fsearch%2Eseam%3FsearchText%3Dchosen%2Bfew

Local man claims motorcyclist broke mirror on highway
By Andy Hallman |
A local man said he was harassed by a group of motorcycle riders on the highway and that one of them broke his side view mirror while he was driving. Frank Bruty of rural Washington said the incident occurred Saturday, Aug. 20 while he was driving on Highway 218. He said he was driving near a group of motorcyclists with his grandson in the vehicle.
"They busted the mirror when they went past me," he said. "One tried to spray mace on me. It wasn't right what happened."
Bruty said the motorcyclist struck the mirror with his hand. He said he took his vehicle to the sheriff's department two days later on Monday, Aug. 22. He asked Washington County Sheriff Jerry Dunbar to check for fingerprints. Dunbar told him he wasn't able to lift them from the mirror. Bruty said he has learned he will have to spend $150 to replace his mirror. He also said several people have told him not to say anything about the incident for fear of reprisals.
Iowa State Patrol sergeant Russ Morey was on duty in Mt. Pleasant at the time of the incident. He said he heard of the complaint over the radio while he was driving north on Highway 218. He saw a group of motorcyclists at the St. Avenue Stop in Olds. Morey said he talked to someone who identified himself as the president of the group, which he said was "The Chosen Few."
"Their story was that an individual driving a truck was swerving at them and not allowing them to pass on the traveled portion of the roadway," Morey said. "They said he was driving recklessly. After that, I called Washington County to see if there was any damage to the vehicle. The dispatcher said there was no damage to report. With no damage to report, and nothing on the bikes that I could see, I ran the license plates on the bikes. That was pretty much it for our end of it."
Morey said the motorcyclists told him they were driving to Fairfield to eat lunch.
Dunbar said he examined Bruty's broken mirror. He said the glass was broken but the mirror was still attached to the truck. He said there appeared to be three fingerprints on the mirror but that his efforts to lift them were unsuccessful. Dunbar said deputy Nathan Schmuecker was on patrol that day and saw a few motorcycles carrying the "Chosen Few" insignia in Kalona. Schmuecker stopped and talked to them. Dunbar said that the motorcyclists told Schmuecker they did not see anyone strike Bruty's truck. They told Schmuecker that the driver was trying to pass them on the off ramp on the right-hand side of the road and that the driver almost struck their bikes and nearly caused four of them to collide.
When Dunbar spoke to Bruty in person two days later, he said Bruty told him that he was driving in the left lane in order to pass a vehicle in front of him.
"He told me that when he went to turn in front of the other vehicle, he doesn't recall where the motorcycle came from but it was closer than he realized and he swerved to avoid striking the motorcycle," Dunbar said. "After that, he said another motorcycle came by and hit his mirror with their hand."
Dunbar said he does not have enough information yet to charge any particular person with a crime.
"We've got a group of people saying one thing and an individual saying another," he said. "We have evidence of damage done, but we don't know the individual, and we can't charge a group of people."